Whiskey in December
by Gaiden1
Summary: Second chapter of this horror/chiller is up. PLEASE R&R!!! shanks!
1. Default Chapter

*This is my first fanfic, please don't be too harsh on me. By the way, this is my own take on the Racoon City Saga, not connected with the movie or anything. This first part doesn't give a terrible amount of the plot away at all. Gimme some feed back on what you think is going on. Thanks!*- Gaiden  
  
  
  
Chapter 1- Coffee.  
  
Dean Ryder, the all American working man. Ever since the Umbrella Inc. takeover of the town in '79, life got considerably quieter in the growing town. Back in '79 Ryder still worked for the local press. His big break came in summer of '79 after some local kids drowned in the lake up in the marshes, Ryder was the guy that noticed that somehow the kids didn't 'drown'. Incompetent police officers and lazy morticians are one thing, having a sleazy tabloid journalist solve a murder case is something else. After receiving numerous awards from various papers and a short lived public love affair with the name 'Dean Ryder', Ryder was at the topic of the crop for solving the murders. He was the Chief Editor of the 'Racoon Chronicle'. Then came the takeover. But that was all back in the days when Ryder's brain was fully focused on the jobs at hand, and his waistline was at least 5 sizes smaller. Once the takeover came, Ryder lost all his achievements with his firm,. lost his office, everything. He even came close to losing the job entirely if it hadn't been for his past 'awards'. Instead of firing him completely, Umbrella decided to keep him on the pay role, as Department Manager of their newly established 'Umbrella Official Press' or, 'Contradiction- Capital' to most of the public. These days however, Ryder was usually the first one out of the building when five o'clock came, and usually the last one to leave the coffee machines at lunch. Days seemed to drag in since he lost his zest for the job. He couldn't wait to leave the offices and get back to finishing that six-pack of Bud back at home-a trait his ex. Wife found to be so disgusting she left packed up and left him. 'Ditto' to her was Deans' response. Today however, was the day Dean Ryder had a lot more riding on his day at work than he first thought.  
  
Ha. Sun. Sun in Racoon City, that's rare in December. Ryder made his way across Anderson Street, occasionally giving a glance at the shop windows - which were filled with coloured lights and decorated trees. The holiday feel in the air always reminded him of his own kids. How they would wake on Christmas morning and rush down the stairs to see what Santa Claus had left them. Ryder grunted. His kids all had little ones of their own now, and he didn't see any of them anymore since they left home. He looked at his watch, "fuck." 8.45am.All that window shopping had made him late. Not that he wanted to go to work today, or any day for that matter,. He just didn't want Foster coming down on his ass. He picked up the pace. 


	2. 8th Floor

Chapter 2- 8th Floor  
  
It had been just over a week since Ryder was in Fosters' bad books. He was just outside the Press Office now. He hated the building. So big.so gothic,. The local bums sometimes slept on the great grey stone steps outside the main doors, until Foster called the police on them. Ryder had an affiliation with them, to him they were more than drunks or bums, they were victims of Foster. His 'Suffering Brothers' as he once thought of them. This thought brought a smirk to his face as he swung open the huge doors of the Press Office lobby. "Hey there you are. Jesus, Foster is going fucking nuts upstairs." Remarked Cathy, "What for? I'm in early enough today aren't I?" Dean snapped back he raced across the white marble floor to the elevator, Cathy trying to keep up. "Hey so you are, but that's not it." Ryder gave her a strange look as he pushed the elevator call button. "So.. what's the guys problem,?" "Well the way I've heard it, Some big shot Umbrella suits found it in themselves to come down here and pay us a visit. Had some 'official business' or the like with Foster." "I hope they fire his sorry ass." Cathy laughed. "Your not alone, Dean, you're not alone." The elevator ride was always a long one. The monotonous drone of the engine pulling upwards was a sound was a forever echo in the halls above the lobby. The press office building even before Ryder took his first job there so many years ago, was actually a hospital. The inner workings of the building, the computer networks, the timed steel locking doors in the bottom basement were all very high tech. The yellow stained white marble walls and rotting wooden borders were still present from the buildings health care days. Ryder's early days working at the building were filled with terror, being a young man he'd heard so many horror stories of the hospital. Nowadays though, the only horror stalking the halls to move Ryder and so many others, was Foster. The grey steel doors of the elevator slid open with a 'shhhhhh' on the 8th floor. Ryder stepped out, turned left and marched down the sparsely lit hall to his office, Cathy in tow. "Cathy, do me a favour, go down to the lobby and pick me up some coffee will ya? That's a good girl." Cathy rolled her eyes. Not fearing Ryder as many other of the apprentices there did she turned to argue. "Y'know Dean, you could of picked it up yourself. We were just down there. What's your problem today anyway?" "Cathy I'm in no mood to argue with you today. Go and get me a coffee. And hurry about it." Cathy turned to leave his office. "Oh and Cathy, two sugars. And make it milky." Cathy screwed her nose up at him and stormed out. Ryder had a 'thing' for Cathy. She was 21, a small brunette with a great figure. He liked to watch her as she worked about his office, filing papers and things. He was almost sure she caught him looking at her on a number of occasions,. Maybe this was why she seemed to stand up to Ryder, She knew he had a soft spot for her.  
  
As Ryder sifted through the various papers on his littered desk, he failed to hear the set of footsteps angrily marching down the hall towards his office. Footsteps that had a few words to say to Ryder. 


End file.
